How NiP As Underdogs Won Over FaZe In IEM Oakland

Tomorrow marks Ninjas in Pyjamas’ first week as IEM Oakland Champions and we’ll give the Swedes a little celebratory article on how underdogs like them beat the star-studded lineup of FaZe. FaZe Clan was built with a roster full of CS:GO star players while NiP was built on three veterans that have many years of playing together and mixing them with two up-and-coming gunners. On paper, the Ninjas didn’t look too good. Most especially, their recent tournament performances were lacking compared to the usual NiP we see. This even led to the Swedes to miss the ELEAGUE Major Boston. So, desk analysts predicted that NiP had slim chances of surviving the barraging lineup of FaZe. But, some overlooked the fact that NiP had found a sudden chemistry among the players and they were unexpectedly number one in their group. Did the Ninjas find their magic again?

Too slick for ninjas

The Swedish team didn’t really overpower the series when they traded map wins after another with FaZe. Their worst loss was in their fourth match–when they had the chance to get the series win–when FaZe showed how powerful their lineup really is by dominating the Overpass map. The first half ended with the Ninjas only scoring 3 round wins. Of course, FaZe won this map to revive their chances of winning the IEM Championship on Cache map.

Before this series, FaZe had not lost a match when the map used was Cache. They had a 100% win rate. But, the Ninjas pulled out more tricks off their sleeves when they needed it most and crushed FaZe in their best performing map. The Swedes pulled off one of the greatest upsets in CS:GO history.

REZ FOR MVP

The youngster CS:GO player–only 19 years of age–is the newest addition to the Ninja team and has been one of the great players of this tournament. REZ dropped 24 frags in his first match against the overpowered FaZe Clan team. REZ was consistent and made round winning plays as well as clutch shots that made the highlight reels. It’s not a wonder that he’s seen as one of the biggest surprise players in IEM Oakland and became the MVP of the tournament.